FOLEY, Ala. - When visitors travel down Alabama 59 through the city of Foley, there will be a new building ready to greet them with loads of information about the city ranging from lodging and restaurants to attractions and events.

Foley's new Visitor Information Center opens Thursday with a grand opening event at 4 p.m., ready to begin its job of welcoming travelers to The Forward City at its Alabama 59 and County Road 24 location.

"This gives us an opportunity to showcase what Foley has to offer," LaDonna Hinesley, city marketing director, said. "So many people travel Highway 59 and go through Foley so many times and don't realize all the fun things to do here."

The new visitor attraction will be in the lobby of the Snook Telephone Building. There will be signs placed on the highway and at the building this week, Hinesley said, to let visitors know of the additional attraction.

"Hundreds of thousands of people travel through Foley each year. Opening this center will allows us the opportunity to emphasize the things that Foley has to offer, as well as provide area information," Foley Mayor John Koniar stated in a press release. "With 10 hotels and over 70 restaurants, Foley offers good reasons for visitors to stop. The center will also provide information about Foley's hidden treasures — the railroad museum and train exhibit, the rose trail and Graham Creek Park, to name a few.

"We want to encourage people to stop in Foley."

The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday during peak tourist season and the same hours on Monday through Friday the rest of the year. Hinesley defined the tourist season as Spring Break to Labour Day.

The current visitor center is located at 109 West Laurel Ave., and it will remain open to serve downtown visitors.

"The city of Foley will have two visitor centers, one convenient for people visiting downtown and one convenient for travelers who are coming into town on Highway 59," Hinesley said.